‘Let’s shoot up the school’: Ohio schoolgirls may face charges after Instagram stunt

Two 14 year-old schoolgirls in the US may face charges after posting a photo of themselves on social media posing with plastic guns beside a poster saying, “I hate everyone, you hate everyone. Let’s shoot up the school at homecoming.”

The photo, posted on Instagram with the catchline, “If school shooting was a sport America would get the gold”, was brought to the attention of police who were called out to Findlay High School, Ohio on Tuesday morning.

“The case is under investigation and charges are going to be (filed),” Findlay Police Lt. Robert Ring told The Findlay Courier.

Ring said although the investigation is underway, it appears the stunt was a prank. However, the girls, who have since been suspended, may still face juvenile charges for disorderly conduct for the panic they caused.

“There doesn’t appear to be any legitimate threat or concern to anybody,” Ring said. “There is no evidence they’ve got any weapons or pose any threat to homecoming.”

Findlay City Schools Superintendent, Ed Kurt, said they were alerted to the social media post by another student and found the girls’ stunt to be related to a social media movement called “I hate everyone”.

“It seems that this movement is encouraging individuals who feel alone to join together,” said Findlay High School Principal Craig Kupferberg in an email statement.

“This is being extended to the world of homecoming where you will hear some say something to the affect, ‘I hate everyone, you hate everyone, let’s go to homecoming together.’”

“It is a way of asking someone to the homecoming dance. Unfortunately, these two students took that message to a completely different level that is completely inappropriate,” he added.

It’s believed one of the girl’s recently went through a breakup and this was their way of declaring they would go to the dance together.

Findlay High School’s homecoming dance will go ahead on October 1, as it’s not believed there is any credible threat to the event.

The guns which the girls posed with in the photo were a cap gun and an airsoft gun.

Fake guns, however, have been mistaken for real guns by police in several instances across the US with fatal consequences.